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The X Factor (series 7)
The X Factor is a music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a cash prize of, for the first time in the X Factor's run, 500,000 credits. Matt Rogan and Jess Woods carried on their judging stints to this series, being joined by long-time guest judge Dan Rey, and successful tribute artist Jess Glynne. A major overhaul was planned for The X Factor this year following a dip in ratings for the sixth season, where a new format was introduced as well as an increase in the number of contestants. Closed room auditions were brought back in favour of an arena, and the bootcamp stage was completely redesigned to incorporate two stages - an arena audition, along with the three chair challenge. Judge selection process For the 2016 series, there were many different combinations explored by both fans and producers. By June 2016, it was reported that a line-up of Matt Rogan, Jess Woods, '''and '''Sabi Grande would be airing on screens, however disputes between Grande and Rogan led to this being cancelled. Producers were fixated on the idea of a three-judge lineup, bringing in three new categories: * Under 25s: '''Rogan * '''Over 25s: '''Grande's replacement * '''Groups: Woods These categories were in place by the end of June when it was confirmed that Dan Rey and Matt Rogan would definitely be returning. Production was ready to begin with room auditions, and the following line-up However, the producers were unsure about the prospect of the new categories, and felt that adding a fourth judge would give the show more input for the new format, and thus Jess Glynne was introduced to split the Under 25s category into 16-24 Boys and 16-24 Girls. Selection process Applications and auditions Auditions moved into closed-rooms for the first time in 5 series', enabling only the judges to see and comment on the performances. The auditions went across the UK, unlike previous series' where arena auditions were focused in very few locations. Bootcamp Stages Arena Auditions Each contestant performed a second arena audition infront of the judges to determine whether or not they would pass on to The Three Chair Challenge. The arena auditions were held over the 31st August to the 1st September, taking place in both The SSE Arena in London and EventCity Manchester. The Three Chair Challenge After the arena auditions, the judges were designated a category to look after for the rest of the competition. Initially, categories were due to compact 16-24 Boys and 16-24 Girls together, however this was scrapped. At first, the categories unveiled as: * Matt Rogan: The Groups * Jess Woods: The Girls * Dan Rey: The Over 25s * Jess Glynne: The Boys Rogan subsequently complained to the producers, claiming that Woods had already mentored The Girls, and that he had already worked with The Groups recently. Woods was also unhappy about the prospect of working with a weaker Girls category, and so the four categories were moved around: * Matt Rogan: The Boys * Jess Woods: The Groups * Dan Rey: The Over 25s * Jess Glynne: The Girls This stage worked whereby contestants are swapped in and out of chairs, representing one place in the final three of that category.